Trumaine Johnson - Pro Football Rumors

Deals Still Unlikely For Cousins, Johnson

July 15th, 2016 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

The impending deadline for extensions seems to be bringing the Broncos and Von Miller closer together, but that’s not the case for other franchise-tagged stars. As of this morning, there is still no movement between the Redskins and Kirk Cousins on a long-term deal, according to Mike Jones of The Washington Post (on Twitter). Same goes for the Rams and cornerback Trumaine Johnson, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

In the case of Johnson, La Canfora notes that the two sides spoke on Thursday night, but the Rams and the cornerback’s camp are still very far apart on terms. That jibes with everything we’ve been hearing about the talks over the last couple of months. For those who haven’t been following along, the CliffsNotes version goes something like this: after seeing ex-teammate Janoris Jenkins get megabucks from the Giants, Johnson wants at least that much to forego his opportunity at free agency. The Rams, meanwhile, are not yet willing to give Jenkins a top cornerback’s AAV over the course of a long-term deal. Without a deal, Jenkins will play out the 2016 season under the $13.952MM tender, making him the fifth-highest paid CB in the NFL this year.

Cousins and the Redskins have also been far apart on terms and, like Johnson and the Rams, the two sides have been haggling without getting ugly. The Redskins would love to lock up Cousins, but the quarterback is willing to bet on himself and he sees a repeat of the franchise tag in 2017 (and maybe 2018) as his floor. To forego a turn on the open market, Cousins’ camp is looking for those tender amounts to be fully guaranteed in a long-term deal and, as of this writing, Daniel Snyder & Co. have been unwilling to go that far.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Franchise-Tagged Players

July 14th, 2016 at 10:48am CST by Zachary Links

Barring an unlikely change in momentum, extensions are not expected to be reached for franchise-tagged players Kirk Cousins, Eric Berry, Alshon Jeffery, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Trumaine Johnson, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Schefter’s latest word echoes other reports on these five players, but two names are conspicuously absent from this list: Von Miller and Justin Tucker. It’s not clear if the Broncos and Ravens are on the cusp of deals with their respective franchise-tagged stars, but their odds of reaching deals could be looking better than the rest of the pack at this time.

As Mike Florio of PFT notes, things have been eerily quiet when it comes to Miller and the Broncos, which could be an indication that talks are moving along behind the scenes. In recent weeks, the acrimony between the two sides has been leaking out to the press, so this recent lack of news could be taken as good news when it comes to these contract talks.

The Broncos could theoretically trade Miller if they are unable to reach a long-term deal with him in the next day or so, but the team is focused only on retaining him. Meanwhile, Miller’s threat to sit out the 2016 season reportedly remains “very real” and several teammates believe that he will spend the year at home if he does not get his way. Late last week, the Broncos improved their offer to Miller, giving him more in the way of guarantees and better cashflow in the early part of the deal. Those are the key issues left to resolve as the two sides have largely agreed on the framework of a six-year, $114.5MM deal.

As the Ravens’ franchise player, Tucker will make $4.572MM this year if he and the team don’t agree to a new contract by tomorrow’s deadline. Some believe that the two sides haven’t struck a deal yet because Tucker is likely looking to eclipse the Patriots’ Stephen Gostkowski as the NFL’s highest-paid kicker.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Deal Unlikely For Rams, Trumaine Johnson

July 14th, 2016 at 8:42am CST by Zachary Links

We’re roughly 24 hours away from the deadline for teams to sign their franchise-tagged players to long-term deals. Often times, the deadline can spur action, but that apparently won’t be the case for the Rams and cornerback Trumaine Johnson. A long-term deal is not expected to materialize between the two sides, according to Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter), meaning that Johnson will be scheduled to play out the 2016 season on his tender before hitting the open market.

This year, Johnson will earn a healthy $13.9MM salary. After the 2016 season, the Rams could theoretically use the franchise tag on Johnson for a second time for roughly $16.68MM. But, unless Johnson has a truly spectacular season, it’s hard to see Los Angeles re-upping him at that price.

Johnson, 26, had just 20 career starts on his NFL résumé prior to 2015, but he established himself as a reliable starting cornerback last season, picking up 71 tackles, seven interceptions, and 17 passes defended, grading out as the No. 17 CB in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Rams obviously think highly of Johnson since they used the franchise tag on him rather than former teammate Janoris Jenkins. This offseason, Jenkins moved on from the Rams to ink a five-year, $62.5MM deal with the Giants including $29MM in fully guaranteed money. Of course, after seeing Jenkins net that kind of deal on the open market, Johnson was hoping for at least that much in a multi-year deal with the Rams.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cole’s Latest: Bucs, Grimes, Dolphins, Rams

July 12th, 2016 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

This week, the wife of Buccaneers cornerback Brent Grimes made waves when she slammed the Dolphins in a controversial rant and characterized executive Mike Tannenbaum and owner Stephen Ross as “jew buddies.” Will Miko Grimes’ words affect the two-time Pro Bowler? Officially, the Bucs have no comment on the matter, but, privately, the Glazer family views her comments as anti-semitic, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). With that in mind, it’s fair to wonder if those comments could impact the veteran’s status with the team.

Here’s more from Cole:

It’s looking “less and less likely” that Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, and Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson will get long term deals done by Friday (video link). This offseason, Johnson watched former secondary partner Janoris Jenkins land a mega-deal from the Giants in free agency, securing a $12.5MM annual salary and $28.8MM in guarantees. It doesn’t sound like Los Angeles is willing to match or exceed those numbers, so a deal is probably unlikely to be struck this week.
The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee has extended its deadline to make a recommendation on a Raiders stadium in Las Vegas for the Raiders until August (video link). Ultimately, Cole hears from sources that the Raiders plan will get the OK by the time that new deadline rolls around. After that, the final decision will be made by the governor of Nevada.

Trumaine Johnson, Rams Unlikely To Reach Long-Term Deal

June 19th, 2016 at 8:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

With a little less than a month remaining until the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions, there doesn’t appear to be much hope that the Rams will convince cornerback Trumaine Johnson to sign on the dotted line. According to Adam Schefter and Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (video link), it’s a “long shot” that Johnson will agree to a long-term deal with Los Angeles in the next four weeks or so.

Nonetheless, Johnson will be well-compensated for the 2016 campaign, as he’s already signed his franchise tender, guaranteeing himself a $13.952MM salary for the upcoming season. Per Schefter and Anderson, both the Rams and Johnson are comfortable playing out the year with that cost — neither the club nor the player feels an immediate need to reach an extension, as both sides are content with the roughly $14MM figure.

As Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports wrote earlier this year, Johnson is particularly unlikely to agree to a multi-year pact given that his former Rams teammate, fellow corner Janoris Jenkins, landed a mega-deal from the Giants in free agency, securing a $12.5MM annual salary and $28.8MM in guarantees. Both of those charges likely represents a floor for Johnson, and unless Los Angeles is willing to match or exceed those numbers, Johnson is probably unwilling to sign.

Johnson, 26, had just 20 career starts on his NFL résumé prior to 2015, but he established himself as a reliable starting cornerback last season, picking up 71 tackles, seven interceptions, and 17 passes defended, grading out as the No. 17 CB in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Franchise Tag Notes: Mo, Cousins, Norman

April 12th, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The asking price for Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson is a first-round pick, and perhaps even more, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, who reports that Wilkerson is still on the trade block. One club that won’t be bidding for Wilkerson is the Bears, per Robinson, because Chicago doesn’t want to sacrifice the No. 11 pick and likes the depth of this year’s defensive line draft class.

Let’s take a deep dive into Robinson’s article (which is well worth a full read), as he passes along updates on the top franchise-tagged players…

Kirk Cousins wants a “legitimate” franchise quarterback offer before he considers signing a long-term deal with Washington, sources tell Robinson. In other words, Cousins, who is set to earn more than $19MM in 2016, isn’t interested in a “pay-as-you-go” extension signed by the likes of Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick. At the moment, Washington doesn’t view Cousins as the centerpiece of its team.
The Panthers aren’t interested in paying cornerback Josh Norman‘s asking price, which Robinson reports is around $15-16MM (a number that jibes with earlier reports). Carolina is fine with letting Norman play out the year under the franchise tag, which, at nearly $14MM, pays him like an elite corner.
Von Miller‘s price has gone up this offseason following Olivier Vernon‘s massive deal with the Giants, but the Broncos want to pay him somewhere between Ndamukong Suh and Justin Houston money, which would be around $18MM. Recent reports have indicated that Denver offered Miller more than $17MM annually.
The Bills have made left tackle Cordy Glenn their top priority, and because they view him as an “ascending cornerstone,” they’re willing to pay him elite tackle money, writes Robinson. The deal could be delayed, but Anthony Castonzo‘s deal with the Colts is a starting point in talks, per Robinson.
The Chiefs expect to get a deal done with Eric Berry, but probably not until after the draft, according to Robinson. Berry and Kansas City have a great relationship which should make negotiations easier, and Robinson opines that Berry should be able to top Devin McCourty‘s deal.
Alshon Jeffery is in the same boat as Berry, per Robinson, as the Bears are largely focused on the draft at the moment. Jeffery is not worried about reaching a long-term deal, especially since the franchise tag is paying him nearly $15MM, but the two sides are expected to knock out an extension later in the offseason.
The Rams might have a hard time getting cornerback Trumaine Johnson to agree to a reasonable deal, especially because they picked Johnson over fellow CB Janoris Jenkins, who went on to score a large contract with the Giants. If the two sides do work out an extension, says Robinson, it will be late in the offseason.

Rams Notes: T. Johnson, Ogletree, Zuerlein

March 23rd, 2016 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s been an eventful day for the Rams, who were announced as the subject of this year’s installment of HBO’s Hard Knocks series, and are also believed to be the favorites to “host” a regular-season game in China in 2018. Head coach Jeff Fisher spoke this morning at the NFC coaches’ breakfast about several topics related to his roster as well, and we’ll round up the highlights right here, courtesy of Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com:

The Rams hope to lock up cornerback Trumaine Johnson to a long-term deal in the near future, per Fisher (Twitter link). The team has until July 15 to work out a multiyear extension with Johnson, who has already signed his franchise tender.
At the other cornerback spot, Fisher anticipates Coty Sensabaugh will compete with E.J. Gaines “and/or a draft choice” for the starting job. The head coach added that the Rams were “a lot closer” to re-signing Janoris Jenkins than people think (Twitter links). Jenkins ultimately signed a five-year deal with the Giants worth $12.5MM annually.
The Rams will have to make decisions on the 2017 options for linebacker Alec Ogletree and wide receiver Tavon Austin this spring, and Fisher said it’s virtually a lock that Ogletree’s fifth-year option will be exercised. He added that the team would like to keep both players for the long term (Twitter link).
Greg Zuerlein remains a free agent, and while Fisher said there’s mutual interest in a new deal between the two sides, he also stressed that there will be real competition at the kicker spot (Twitter link).
Fisher evaded a question about his own contract situation — a report earlier this month indicated he and the Rams were discussing a new deal, but he said today that he’s “not concerned about it” (Twitter link).

Trumaine Johnson Accepts Franchise Tender

March 9th, 2016 at 3:34pm CST by Luke Adams

TODAY, 3:34pm: Johnson has officially signed his franchise tender, reports ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

MARCH 4th, 9:57pm: Johnson has accepted his franchise tender, but he hasn’t signed it yet because he’s awaiting paperwork from the Rams, Fields and a team spokesman told Steve Wyche of NFL Media (link via Kevin Patra of NFL.com).

8:27pm: Not so fast. Johnson has not signed his franchise tender, according to his agent, Chafie Fields (Twitter link).

2:57pm: Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson has become the fourth player to receive the franchise tag and sign his tender within the next week, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Peter Schrager of FOX Sports reported earlier today that Johnson would accept his franchise tender before the end of the work week.

By signing his tender, Johnson guarantees himself a base salary of $13.952MM for the 2016 season. He joins Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, and Bills offensive tackle Cordy Glenn as franchised players who have accepted the one-year offers from their respective clubs.

Johnson, 26, had just 20 career starts on his NFL résumé prior to 2015, but he established himself as a reliable starting cornerback last season, picking up 71 tackles, seven interceptions, and 17 passes defended. His performance earned him the Rams’ franchise tag over fellow cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who also reportedly received consideration.

The Rams and Johnson can still work out a multiyear contract anytime before July 15th, but if the two sides don’t strike a deal by that date, the cornerback will play the 2016 season on his one-year franchise contract, and would be eligible for unrestricted free agency again next winter.

Signing the franchise tender ensures that Johnson is no longer technically a free agent, and he can’t explore signing an offer sheet with another team — of course, any club interested in signing him would have had to give up two first-round picks to do so, meaning that was never a realistic outcome.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: M. Jones, C. Long, Crick

March 4th, 2016 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones is expected to get a “huge” deal in free agency, according to Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com, who tweets that Jones is the top wideout on most NFL free agent boards. While that may come as a surprise for those who haven’t been paying close attention to the available players at the position, it makes sense when considering the alternatives.

When Alshon Jeffery received the franchise tag this week from the Bears, the top free agent wide receiver was removed from the equation (unless a team is willing to part with two first-round picks to land him). That leaves Jones, Travis Benjamin, Rishard Matthews, Anquan Boldin, and Rueben Randle among the receivers in line for the biggest deals. And don’t forget Jones’ teammate, Mohamed Sanu — Russini tweets that he’s also in line for a nice payday.

As we wait to see how the wide receiver market plays out, let’s check in on a few other free agent notes and rumors from around the NFL….

Although he was cut by the Rams after another injury-plagued season, veteran defensive end Chris Long is “100% healthy,” per Russini, who tweets that Long only wants to sign with a Super Bowl contender.
Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who technically remains a free agent until his franchise tender is signed, may come off the market very soon. Peter Schrager of FOX Sports tweets that Johnson is expected to accept his tender later today.
The Texans are expected to try to re-sign defensive end Jared Crick, whose rookie contract is expiring, writes Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Crick, who operates primarily as a run-stopper, will likely draw interest from other teams when the legal tampering period begins on Monday, but he has indicated he “would love to be back” in Houston.
Cornerback Sterling Moore will almost certainly hit the open market next week, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, who tweets that the Buccaneers could still re-sign Moore, but will let him gauge his value.

West Notes: Rams, Manning, Kaepernick

March 1st, 2016 at 8:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams placed the franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson earlier today, and general manager Les Snead was certainly enthused that the NFC’s interception leader would be staying with the organization.

“Since we drafted Trumaine in 2012, he has developed into an integral part of our defense,” Snead told Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (via Twitter). “We look forward to having him with us this season and more to come.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC’s Western divisions…

Recycling a theory he proposed in relation to the Calvin Johnson situation in Detroit, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Peyton Manning might want the Broncos to release him before he makes a retirement decision, since that would allow him greater freedom down the road in the event that he decides to continue his career.
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com explains why the Rams look like the most logical trade partner for the 49ers if San Francisco decides to grant Colin Kaepernick‘s agents request to seek out a deal for their client.
Fresno State assistant – and former NFL defensive back – Ricky Manning Jr. is set to join the Seahawks as an assistant defensive backs coach, according to Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee (Twitter link).
The Rams are also making a change to their coaching staff, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, who tweets that assistant linebackers coach Joe Bowden has been moved to an assistant special teams role.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.